Turning the lights off on daylight savings time

Why do we still have daylight savings time (DST)? This weekend we got to ‘fall back’ and gain an extra hour of sleep…. unless you are a parent. Then somehow you just end up losing two hours of sleep and it takes several days to get back into a routine.

DST is so archaic. I don’t need natural light to churn my butter, I’m just trying to keep my kids on some sort of schedule. Canada started observing DST in 1908 to get longer summer evenings, make use of daylight and save energy. Recent research has suggested that while DST does save on electricity for lighting, it increases the use of power for heating. One study showed that energy usage actually went up with DST, especially in the morning.

On top of that, an American study found there is a significant increase in the number of automobile accidents in the spring shift to DST due to the loss of one hour of sleep.

A Swedish study found the risk of having a heart attack increases in the first three weekdays after switching to DST in the spring.

One more scary stat for you, sleep deprivation can affect motor skills and research shows it may lead to more workplace injuries, particularly around Daylight Saving Time transitions. Additionally, the injuries were more severe and increased the number of days of work missed.

The provincial government is thinking of ending the time change and last week tabled legislation to do so.

A recent poll done by the Province discovered more than 90 per cent of British Columbians want to scrap the time change. Three quarters of those people cited health and wellness concerns as a reason for their support.

I’d like to cite my mental health.

The government has been toying with the idea of waiting to see if Washington, Oregon and California kick the seasonal change to the curb and follow suit.

But why can’t we lead the way? I understand we rely on trading with our neighbours to the south but that doesn’t mean we always have to follow them.